YEA Lesson Library
Come, Follow Me
About This Lesson
Using the calling of Peter and Andrew as disciples, this lesson teaches the student to be willing to be used of God.
Scriptures
Matt 4:18-22
Matthew 4:19
Matt 10:1-5
Mark 1:16-20
Mark 3:14-19
Luke 5:1-11
John 13:35
John 15:8
1 Corin 4:16
Ephesians 5:1
Words to Know
SINFUL - doing things that are wrong
DEPART - go away
DISCIPLES - people who follow Christ
MIRACLE - something that God does that man cannot do
The Lesson
Donna’s mother was cooking dinner. She had potatoes to peel. She had to cut up the salad. The table had to be set. She had baked a cake, but it needed frosting. She was very busy. She asked Donna to help her by putting the frosting on the cake. Mother let Donna spread the frosting around. They worked together until they had everything ready and dinner on the table. It went much faster with Donna helping.
Jesus was always busy teaching people about His Father. He knew He needed helpers. He needed special people to help Him teach other people. But first, He would have to teach His helpers.
One day Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two boats standing by the lake. The men were not in them. They were washing their nets. These fishermen earned their living by selling fish they caught. They had fished all night long, but didn’t catch even one fish. Think how sad they must have been!
A lot of people gathered on the shore to hear Jesus. He got into Peter’s boat and sat down. Jesus taught the people about God. When He finished His lesson, He told Peter where to throw out his fishing net. Peter was very tired. He thought, “What’s the use?” But, Peter and his brother Andrew threw their nets just where Jesus told them.
It always pays to obey God. When Peter and Andrew did what Jesus said, guess what happened? A miracle happened! They started pulling in their net. It was so full of fish that the net almost broke. That was a lot of fish! Peter called for other men to help him. The fish filled both boats. They were so heavy that the boats started to sink.
Peter was surprised at how many fish they caught. Jesus had performed a miracle! Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man.” But Jesus told the men not to be afraid.
Jesus had a much more important job for these men to do. It was far more important than just catching fish. “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” Jesus said. Teaching people about Jesus is a lot like fishing for fish.
Peter, Andrew, James, and John rowed their boats back to shore. They left everything they had and followed Jesus. They wanted to help Jesus find people and teach them to obey God.
This job was so important that they started right away. They didn’t even take a suitcase with them. They left everything behind and did what Jesus wanted them to do. These were the kind of men Jesus wanted for His disciples. Men who were willing to give up everything and obey Him.
Jesus wants you to be His disciples, too. He wants you to follow Him every day. It is important that you do what Jesus says! Don’t put it off. So many people need to know about Jesus. You can be one of His helpers and share that good news.
Student Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for calling Peter, Andrew, James and John to be your disciples. I want to be your disciple too. Help me not to put it off, and to always do what you say. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Matthew 10:1-5
Monday - Mark 3:14-19
Tuesday - John 13:35
Wednesday - John 15:8
Thursday - Matthew 4:18-22
Friday - 1 Corinthians 4:16
Saturday - Ephesians 5:1
YEAH — At-Home Activity
1. Overloaded. Start the sabbath lesson by putting a basin of water in front of the students. Put a toy boat into the basin. Begin filling the boat with pebbles or paperclips. How many pebbles or paperclips will it take before the boat sinks? (You can also choose to use fish crackers, but they float until they’re soggy. They don’t have enough weight to give the correct visual for telling the lesson - although the fish visual is a consideration if you have a toy boat with high enough sides.) Tell the story or read the lesson. Talk about the miracle which caught the attention of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and subsequently, changed their lives.
2. Fish Bookmark. Using the fish pattern in the REACH activities, give each student a fish to cut out. Have them color the fish with colored pencils. Then using a sharpie, write the names of the disciples, six on each side. Cover the fish with clear contact paper. Using a hole punch, put a hole in the nose of the fish and thread a ribbon through the hole. Tie the two ends together, or thread through a fish button before tying. Each student will have a fish bookmark to help them learn the names of the twelve disciples. Variation: you can also write the memory verse on the fish.
3. Change of Occupation Drawing. Tell the story or read the lesson to the students. Then have them draw the scene where the boat is overloaded with fish. As the caption at the bottom of the page (or in the clouds) write the memory verse: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
4. Who Were They? Make a small book by taking two pieces of printer paper and folding them in half twice. Staple the back of the “book” and cut along the crease to separate the pages. Write the name of a disciple on each page. Then write what details you know about him. Keep adding to the book as we work through this quarterly. Since you have more pages than you need, you may wish to do a title page or a table of contents for your disciple book.
5. Follow the Leader. Have the students follow you and do what you do. If you give someone a high five, every student gives that person a high five as they go by. Turn around backwards. Sit down. Hop in place three times. Shake someone’s hand. Pick up the quarterly and read the memory verse. End by sitting down in your place or on the floor to begin talking about the lesson. Tell the story or read the lesson from the quarterly. Then talk about Jesus calling the disciples. Was it easy for the students to do what you did? Was it easy for the disciples to drop everything and follow Jesus? We need to prefer Jesus over all else. What that looks like for each person may differ. But it’s worth thinking about in every aspect of your life. Are you willing to read your Bible every night before you go to bed, or will you choose to watch one more tv show so that you don’t have time? Are you ready to come to church each Sabbath, or do your parents have to scold you to get you out the door? In the big things and the little things, we need to be willing to follow Jesus.
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Name four of the disciples.
2. Explain that a disciple is a follower of Jesus.
3. Explain that they can be disciples today.
4. Recite their memory verse.
Topics & Themes
Andrew
Calling Disciples
Disciples
Fishing
Jesus, His Ministry
Jesus, His Miracles
Miraculous Catch
Obedience
Peter
Sea of Galilee
Sharing the Gospel
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA student’s and teacher’s books, colored construction paper, crayons, scissors, glue, old newspapers, rubber bands, memory verse and attendance charts, stars, music player and music CD/tape, songbook, and large glass bowl
Preparation
By reading the lesson, scriptures and teacher’s book early in the week, your subconscious mind can begin to work on it. The lesson will have time to develop and connect with other thoughts. Keep in mind that these lessons are designed to lead students into a lifelong relationship with their friend, Jesus, as their Savior and Lord.
Pray that God Himself will teach the children in your class. It is the teacher’s or parent’s task to present His message to the children with love, clarity, persuasion and even passion.
Before you come to class, enlarge the pattern for the “fish” craft and photocopy it onto construction paper so that each child in your class will have one. Also, make copies of the fish for the review, and write the review questions on the back of the fish. Put the fish into a large glass bowl.
How to Teach This Lesson
Begin your lesson by pointing out to the class that Peter, Andrew, James and John were only four of the twelve disciples Jesus called when He was on this earth. Make an assignment for the class to memorize the names of the twelve disciples by next Sabbath. Give a Bible marker or some small award to each child who knows all twelve (Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, a second James, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas).
As you tell the story, involve the students by asking questions. You will not only keep their attention, but be able to tell whether or not the children understand what is being taught. If the students do not understand, you may need to spend a little more time explaining that particular point.
One of the more interesting asides of this lesson is the miracle of so many fish in the net. It was so loaded down that it was about to tear. This miracle was performed before Jesus told the disciples that He would make them fishers of men. Doubtless, the symbolism is that there are so many people God is calling out of the world that our nets are burdened down as well. The urgency to leave everything and go after these people without delay is made clear as well.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary points out that the details in our lesson today are similar to that in John 21, giving the narrative a ring of truth. In Luke’s account, Peter refers to Jesus as “Lord,” abasing himself before Jesus and acknowledging his own sinfulness. “Luke’s reason for including this incident may be not only to portray the confrontation of human sinfulness with Jesus but also to show that to receive the saving grace of Christ as man must repent. . . .” Luke also refers to the fact that the men left everything to follow Jesus – a condition of discipleship that is taught later on by Jesus.
Review Questions
Have each child draw a fish out of the bowl. Allow the children to read their question to the class (You may need to help the younger children), and ask for volunteers to answer the question. If your class is large, you may need more questions.
1. Name the four fishermen who became disciples.
2. What is a disciple?
3. Are there disciples today?
4. How many fish had the fishermen caught before Jesus told them where to cast their net?
5. What is the name of the sea where Jesus found the fishermen?
6. Did the disciples follow Jesus right away?
7. Can you be a disciple of Jesus?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Give each child a lunch size paper bag. Cut out and glue the “mouth” to the flat bottom of the bag. Glue the “eyes” on either side of the bag. The children may wish to color their fish and give it scales and gills. Stuff the bag with crumpled newspaper and close the bag by placing a rubber band two inches from the top edge of the bag. Fan out the edge to form a tail.
REACH Activity
Special Materials
Yardstick or dowel rod, string, strip magnet, 11 paper fish with magnet strips on the back, 24 paper fish
1. Sing: “Come and Go With Me” on page 83 of the Kids Classics Collection.
2. Invite a friend to come to Sabbath School with you this week.
3. Do a sword drill with the Daily Devotional Scriptures. (See Notes section for directions.)
4. Make a “fishing pole” from a yardstick or dowel rod. Tie a string to one end. On the other end of the string, attach a strip magnet. Cut 11 paper fish out of construction paper (see fish pattern). Attach a strip magnet to the back of each fish. On the front side, write one word from the memory verse on each fish (plus the Scripture reference). Place the fish on the floor. Have the child(ren) fish for their memory verse, putting the words in the order as they “catch” them.
5. Pretend you are a newspaper reporter. Write a newspaper article about the miraculous catch of fish that Peter and Andrew caught.
6. Write five things you can do to follow Jesus. What things did He do that you can and should follow?
7. Sing: “I have Decided to Follow Jesus” on page 23 of the Kids Classics Collection. Read verse two. It would be hard to follow Jesus if you were the only one. But God is so important! Even if no one else wanted to do what was right and follow Jesus, you should still choose to follow Him. After you sing the song, write a prayer in your Bible notebook asking God for the strength and courage to follow Him even if you are the only one.
8. How can you be a fisher of men like Jesus’ disciples? Make a plan with your family for how you can spread the good news about Jesus together.
9. Make a list of how you help at home. Ask your parents how else you might be able to be a helper. Add it to your list.
10. Write an acrostic poem for H-E-L-P-E-R, telling about the importance of being a good helper. (See Notes section for directions.)
11. Where is the Sea of Galilee? Find it on a Bible map.
12. The fishermen that Jesus saw made a living by selling the fish they caught. Have you ever been fishing? Would you want to be a fisherman? Why or why not? Write a paragraph that explains your answer.
13. Create a comic strip that shows and tells the story of the people gathered on the shore to hear Jesus.
14. Play “Follow the Leader.” Did you like it? Would you want to be the leader? Was it easier to follow or lead? Share answers.
15. Find the story about the writer of the song “Footsteps of Jesus.” Sing it with family and friends.
16. Draw and cut out 24 fish shapes large enough for the names of each disciple to fit. Write each disciple’s name on two fish. Shuffle, turn them over, and play a matching game.
Song
“Peter, James And John In A Sailboat” is on page 12 of the Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
From time to time, the teacher or parent should lead in prayer as an example. However, ask the students to do the honors on a rotational basis most of the time.
Printable Pages
